Continuing on our way from the landing zone, we followed orange flags laid out by
the crew to keep us safely back from the animals. Studies have been done for years
about the impact of tourism on the natural fauna. Every landing area contains both
open areas and control (restricted) areas. The main non-profit organization counting and
checking the impact, Oceanites (www.oceanites.org), is the official charity of the
race. So far, tourism is somehow promoting reproduction in some of the penguin
populations. At best, tourism is not harmful to the wildlife in the conscientious
manner in which the International Association for Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO)
run their ships. In fact, many people (mostly the tour operators) feel that tourism
has benefited Antarctica because the scientists are being held to higher standards
for pollution control than prior to the continent being open. Whatever the case, we
had to sign off on multiple letters of acknowledgement of how to behave when on
land.

Reaching the base of a glacier, we then were allowed to climb up above the beach.
This 30 degree hill wasn't too challenging as we kicked out steps in the loose
snow/ice top layer. And oh what a view! More of the glacier reached above us.
Icebergs and floes drifted in the harbor. Penguins and seals bobbed up and down in
the water at the sea's edge. A cadre of penguins moved up and down the slope
without much difficulty - and definitely less than we had. In the past two
landings, the smell of the penguin guano had been intense, but it was so windy today
that I don't think any smell could have stuck around. Ice crystals pelted our
exposed faces.

Penguins!

Our ears were treated to new sounds as well. Penguins communicate with squeaks and
each is unique. Parents can tell their children by sound alone even amongst
thousands of other penguins. To us, they all sound the same, but those squawks are
loud and constant. In a lower register, sounds of cracks, pops and rumbles reminded
us that the glaciers were all still moving - some as fast as 30 meters in a month.
When huge chunks break off, they become those lovely icebergs we see in the ocean.
More than one Zodiac (but none on our trip) has been knocked over by the small
tidal wave caused by the crash of ice into the ocean. The whistling wind completed
the auditory landscape.

Before I leave everyone with the impression of a winter paradise, let me say that
the conditions were tough. The normal landing spot for this area was completely
packed with ice. The alternate we used was barely big enough to give us room to
navigate by the penguins. But walking on Antarctica is so unique and special, that
the Quark Expedition staff who runs the boat know they have to do everything they
can to make it work. In fact, if you read Chapter Eleven, you know we had a delay
just awaiting the winds to simmer down from a gale to something the Zodiacs could
stay upright in.

And the safety of the animals is really something we aim to do by visiting responsibly; this is, after all a, wilderness. Thus you see signs of the predatory nature of different creatures. Before we landed on the beach, we zipped around the icebergs in the harbor. On one floe laid a gray seal, a big scar laced its back obvious in the morning gloom. A bigger seal or perhaps a squid had inflicted that wound.

Even more glaringly obvious, up on the glacier, a skua bird munched happily on the
carcass of a gentoo penguin. This oddly gruesome and yet hypnotic site plays itself
out every day. Sometimes the cause is a chick not being fed by its parents;
sometimes the parents themselves favor one chick over another. (Gentoo, adelie and
chinstrap penguins - the types in this part of Antarctica - all lay two eggs as
compared to the more famous emperor penguins' solo chick featured in March of the
Penguins.)

Nature. A Skua eats the remains of dead gentoo penguin.

This part of the peninsula has seen more snow than usual. The result being that
breeding started later and therefore less time existed for parents to go out and bring food
back to their young. If the young do not get strong enough, they cannot learn to
swim and hunt for their own krill and fish. The lateness of the breeding season
means the time to get this done before the penguins have to migrate is shorter.
Plus, after the parents fatten up their young, they need to completely molt off
their feathers for a new coat. This takes three weeks during which they do not
feed. Besides going hungry from not eating, the molting process is intense as
massive amounts of proteins are created to build the new layers. We were given
specific instructions to stay away from molting penguins because they are already
stressed enough.

Gentoo and chinstraps fall into the category of sub-antarctic penguins because they
also show up in South America, The Falkland Islands, New Zealand and Australia.
Adelie penguins are true antarctic ones as they do not live north of 60 degree
latitude.

If you have visited penguins in the zoo or a marine park or even watched them on
film, you know they move by shuffling back and forth. In person, this can only make
you laugh, even as they try to eat your backpack strap or peck at your waterproof
boots (while we have to stay back from penguins, they can come up to us if they so
choose). Sometimes you see one chasing another, or a more gentle moment of a mom
feeding a chick. Occasionally, a clearly abandoned chick lies despondingly away
from the main rookery. Death seems certain in this case.

But fortunately the penguins (and seals for that matter) are doing well. Penguins
have never really proven to be appetizing or worth their pelts, so hunters have left
them alone. All animals in the Antarctic are legally protected internationally and
by specific laws in many countries including the United States. But 150 years ago,
whalers and sealers were the first to make any significant inroads into visiting
this place. In fact, the first scientific or nationalistic journeys did not start
until 1898 when the Belgians spent the first supposedly planned winter in the
continent. With that success achieved, many countries embarked upon journeys. But
prior to that, an active whaling and sealing season harvested the animals for all
aspects of their masses. Seal pelts were quite popular in fashionable circles.
Whale and seal blubber could be used for fuel and cosmetics. Whale meat was
considered a delicacy. The earliest stations and buildings - primarily on the
sub-antarctic islands such as South Georgia - were built to support these voyages
with fuel depots, processing stations and winter respites.

Looking back through 20-20 hindsight, one can easily condemn this brutality, but not
many people spoke out at the time. Today those activities are banned by treaty,
although some illegal actions do still occur.

I cannot stress how fortunate I am to be here to report these idea, feelings and
facts. So, as I hear the anchor drop as we reach Port Lockroy museum for a short
visit, I'll sign off.

Thanks for reading. Next up: Photography in Antarctica - Following in the
footsteps of Frank Hurley.